A Declaration of Interdependence
What are we celebrating on July 4th?
The Declaration of Independence, which we commemorate each July 4th, is a remarkable document — even nearly 250 years after it was created.
It’s short and decisive. As far as break-up letters go, it’s an empowering one, naming Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness as our unalienable rights. Don’t we deserve to be happy? It puts on paper some of the first hints at the kind of country the United States could be — equal, just, self-governed, free of British rule. It represents the voices of people, bound together by the idea that they ought to rule themselves. (Though it doesn’t acknowledge Native peoples who had long self-governed on this land).
As we look around today — are we living out its promise?
There is a lot to celebrate on this anniversary — the U.S. has stuck around for over two centuries as a more or less functioning, independent democratic republic. But the last year shone a spotlight on many of our shortcomings, and reminds us that even after two centuries of wars, sacrifice and movements, we have a long way to go in terms of achieving liberty and justice for all.
It’s easy to forget, amid the parades and the fireworks, that July 4th, 1776 wasn’t a victory. It wasn’t the end of the story, or even the beginning, but rather part of the murky middle. The Declaration was written after years of violent conflict with the British and after centuries of people living on this land and shaping it. And declaring independence on paper — just like the Emancipation Proclamation 87 years later– didn’t mean freedom was granted. Rather, July 4th, 1776 kicked off a decade of war, bloodshed, sacrifice, and redefinition of rights and values, all with an uncertain outcome. The Revolutionary War went on for eight more years; the Constitution, which actually laid out how this new nation would work, wouldn’t be written for three years after that. In it, the Framers clarified the goal: to form a more perfect union. Not perfect, but more perfect. A moving target. A bar continually raised, for we the people.
So our story is ever-evolving, our work unfinished, the ending up to us, as a result of our claim to self-governance. And now, a new idea has emerged to help our celebrations, like Independence Day, better reflect that.
By expanding July 4th into a larger, focused time for all to consider our place in the vast, complex American story, and to take action toward the future we want, we can inch closer to that “more perfect union.” A Civic Season, from Juneteenth through July Fourth, explores “how we got here” as it compels us all to take on our own role in where we’re going next. Signing up to volunteer on the weekend, showing up to a community event or even just adding a history podcast into your commute are all simple ways to get started. Whether you have five minutes or five days to spare, the Civic Season platform offers hundreds of activities to choose from, hosted by history and civics organizations across the country.
How we celebrate July 4th says a lot about what we value, and who we are as a nation. We can use this time each year to show up for our communities, for our neighbors, and for our country. Self-governance today might look different than in 1776, but it still starts with each of us taking responsibility.
There’s no doubt that our country’s problems persist. But it’s up to us to engage, repair, build, and sustain our nation. And as we look to a post-pandemic future, there is renewed hope for a brighter tomorrow. If we allow our holidays to better reflect our complex past, they might become stronger springboards for us to uphold our nation’s promises into the future.
As we commemorate the Declaration of Independence this weekend, there’s one other aspect that’s important to note. The final line reads: “we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”
In other words: there is no independence, without interdependence. Our fates are tied. We rely on each other. No one is free until we are all free.
250 years after it was written, it’s less a value statement than a point of fact — as we celebrate our independence, we recommit to our common purpose as Americans, declaring our interdependence. So lets each do our part to get started. Happy Fourth — as we go forth.
